The International Rescue of Thunderbirds 2086 was a far larger organisation which operated out of a vast city known as the Arcology, built upon a manmade island. Although the organisation apparently employs hundreds of people, the main cast of heroes was limited to seven characters. The Thunderbirds machines would be manned by a group of captains (despite being called cadets during the opening titles narration) under the command of Doctor Warren Simpson, 2086's equivalent of Jeff Tracy. The Thunderbird 1 space shuttle was piloted by daring young hotshot Dylan Beyda, while the hypersonic transport Thunderbird 2 was co-piloted by would-be space cowboy Jesse Rigel and Jonathan 'Little John' Jordan, Jnr. Thunderbird 3, a multi-purpose ground vehicle, would be commanded by Gran Hanson – who also served as the team's leader for most missions. Thunderbirds 1 2 and 3 could also combine to ensure maximum preparedness for any emergency situation. The sole female member of the team, Kallan James, was in charge of International Rescue's primary underwater craft, Thunderbird 4. Rounding out the regular cast – whether you liked it or not – was Commander Simpson's seven-year-old nephew 'Skipper'.
The number of Thunderbirds machines in this new International Rescue was also increased from six to seventeen (with an eighteenth under construction in the episode Starcrusher), although several would never appear on screen. Most were substantially different from those seen in the Supermarionation series, although several borrowed heavily from those designs. Thunderbird 4 would remain a yellow submarine, while Thunderbird 16 was a gold and silver drilling machine named the Mole. Thunderbird 6 was the organisation's Earth-orbiting space station, but manned by a crew of hundreds as opposed to one. Most of the Thunderbirds 7-17 are the equivalent to the pod vehicles in the original series.
Warren Simpson; Born in Washington in 2031, the future founder of IRO majored in Aerospace, Industrial, and Systems Engineering. Upon completing the courses, he was chosen to join NASA as a deep space explorer. Swiftly moving up the ranks, his last assignment was Commander of the UNSS Clarke spaceship. During the mission, he was called upon to meet the World Federation to discuss plans for a special rescue organisation. When it comes to saving lives, Warren is always deadly serious. He's so dedicated to the organisation that he constantly remains on assignment, and has very little time for recreation, much to the disappointment of his brother. According to ITC's Thunderbirds 2086 press kit, Warren was originally to be named "Dr. Gerald Simpson". While this working title was ultimately dropped (save for the back cover of at least one VHS release in 1991), his brother Wayne affectionately referred to Warren as "Gerry" in Cloudburst.
Gran Hanson; Pilot of Thunderbird 3 for IRO, Hanson was born in New Berlin, 2041. Gran spent most of his time at the Lunar Academy, where he initially studied in Communications and Meteorology. This led him to join the Rama Space Seed project as an asteroid miner. The eldest active member of the Thunderbird team. Stern and serious, Gran always focuses on the task at hand above all else. He acknowledges that his gruff approach can lead to conflict with his younger crew, though he always means well, and just wants to ensure their mission is accomplished successfully, safely, and professionally. When not on assignment, Gran likes to find a secluded spot outside and spend the day fishing.
Dylan Beyda; Born in 2058, he is the pilot of Thunderbird 1. The eldest son of legendary space explorer Harrison Beyda, Dylan was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. During his teenage years, he struck up a friendship with fellow pilot Bill Watson. The pair fell out of contact when Dylan attended both Yale and Oxford Universities in the United States, where he graduated with degrees in Astronomy and Quantum Mechanics. If someone is in peril, Dylan will rise above and beyond the call of duty to rescue them, even going so far as to disregarding the direct orders of a superior officer. Cocky but caring, he is an expert pilot and almost unchallenged in hand-to-hand combat. When not on assignment, Dylan spends his time training martial arts (particularly karate and tai chi) and swimming in the surrounding ocean.
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The Complete Book Of Thunderbirds 2086
Non-FictionThunderbirds 2086 was originally a Japanese anime series entitled Science Rescue Team Techno Voyager created by Banjiro Uemura. Through his fascination and love for the original Gerry Anderson productions for ITC that he created his own Thunderbirds...
